Future Shock

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT FUTURE SHOCK - PAGE 3

It is interesting to find that The Tribune in its editorial, "Future shock in Du Page County," has at last discovered that the lavish prosperity we Du Pagers are experiencing might have a dark side. It should not have been a secret that rapid economic growth has its large and often socially disturbing problems. If the problems we face are profoundly troublesome, think of what greater proportions they would have assumed if the supercollider had been based here. Yet, less than three months ago, The Tribune was leading the drive to have it located at our back door.

1. Monest histake Nice debut for Katie Couric, although she did trip over the word "soil" ... which, on the bright side, means she's 100 percent ready to chat with the president Wednesday night. 2. This just in And how about Katie trumping her own debut by debuting photos of Suri Cruise? Your move, Oprah. 3. Cover story Years from now Suri will look back on this Vanity Fair magazine and say, "Wow, people were crapping their pants over this ?" 4. Drunk tank There'll be a casting call for the "Real World" later this month in Chicago.

1. Pay to play Can't tell you how excited I am to see the Xbox 360 in stores. And the minute that second home loan gets approved, it'll be all mine. 2. Room service Bill Gates says he wants the 360 to be the centerpiece in every family's living room. So what he's saying is this Xbox is the new Stormtrooper helmet nacho bowl. 3. Everything in moderation Giving Ashton Kutcher the power to create all these new TV shows is like giving me the power to redesign the food pyramid.

Now we see why you want to leave before Toni Kukoc becomes the go-to guy. FUTURE SHOCK Jackson wisely doesn't want any part of the post-Jordan era, when the Bulls inevitably slip into the Eastern Conference toilet. More likely, the keys to the commode will be handed to a Jimmy Rodgers or a Tim Floyd or maybe even a Jim Cleamons, who figures to be unemployed by then--if not sooner. You know that waiting list the Bulls have for season tickets? Once MJ's gone, all the names will fit on a 3x5 index card.

1. All things being equal Lindsay Lohan admits to trying pot in that W magazine interview, but she says she "hated it." Confession time: I tried to listen to her album once. I hated it. 2. At the movies Snow in the forecast again this weekend. Another reason to avoid "Be Cool." 3. At the movies II And a friendly reminder: "The Pacifier" is for suckers. 4. Wiener head Here now, a sneak peek at Oscar Mayer's winter coat collection. 5. Wouldn't want to spook her Do we tell Martha about Christina Aguilera's engagement now or do we let her take some more time to get adjusted to life on the outside?

- Long-distance woes: Goalie Dominik Hasek's agent, Rich Winter, passed along the worrisome overseas news Thursday that highly regarded prospect Frantisek Kucera, a defenseman, had seriously injured his knee in a game last week. Kucera is a Czechoslovakian player, the same as Hasek. "Dominik told me Kucera's knee was pretty swelled after the injury," Winter said. "He kept blowing out his cheeks to show how bad it was." Kucera was the Hawks` third-round pick in the 1986 draft.

Future shock? Dodgers General Manager Fred Claire is downplaying reports that Tommy Lasorda is angling to become the Dodgers' new general manager after the team is sold to Rupert Murdoch. Lasorda has denied the reports, but he has a long history of floating stories of moving to other teams to enhance his position with the Dodgers. Lasorda has spent much time with Murdoch confidant Michael Milken, who is expected to play a role in the transition from the O'Malley family. Lasorda loves O'Malley but does not have a good relationship with Claire.

Alvin Toffler observed in his 1970 book, "Future Shock," that the pace of societal change was increasingly beyond our ability to adapt. Changing employment relations, frequent family moves and an assortment of other things caused Toffler to worry that many Americans would simply be unable to cope with the future. As Toffler prepared the world for future shock, global thinkers pronounced the Industrial Age dead and hailed the Information Age as the wave of the future. Many pundits define the Information Age by listing the numerous new services available to consumers, such as computerized shopping, electronic banking and Nintendo.